Social Cohesion & Identity

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Social Cohesion & Identity

Large-scale immigration has led to unprecedented levels of diversity and rapid demographic change, transforming communities across major immigrant-receiving countries in fundamental ways and challenging closely held notions of national identity, particularly in an era of economic uncertainty. The research here focuses on what policymakers can do to mitigate the destabilizing effects of rapid societal change — especially changes tied or perceived to be tied to immigration — in order to create stronger and more cohesive societies.

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Since 1999, concern about immigration in Britain has reached levels never seen before in the history of public opinion research, and surveys show strong support for tougher immigration laws. But opinions vary: younger, better-educated people and those who tend to live in areas with a longer history of immigration are more tolerant than older, less-educated people in more settled communities with low levels of immigration.

The print and broadcast media in the United Kingdom cover only a very narrow range of migration stories, primarily focusing on asylum seekers, refugees, illegal immigrants, and migrant workers. This report discusses the media's reliance on "templates" to frame migration stories, which is often set from the government's agenda on migration.

What politicians say about a crisis — and the venues they choose tocommunicate with their constituents — have a disproportionate effect on the public‘s perception of that crisis. In the Netherlands, the rhetoric used by right-wing populist politicians is often more effective than that of moderates because their rhetoric conveys passion and emotion, and is more readily picked up by modern media who favor crisis and controversy.

German media has helped reinforce the image of immigrants as “aliens” — sometimes even in exaggerated terms — since the first guest workers came to Germany in the 1950s. By focusing primarily on the problems associated with migration in Germany, the report shows that media have helped contribute to an atmosphere of polarization among the German public.

MPI convened the first extraordinary meeting of the Transatlantic Council on Migration in Berlin on June 17-18, 2009. The expert dialogue focused on local integration efforts and outcomes in North America and Europe, examining what works (and what does not) with respect to integration.

Report examines the findings of a survey conducted by The Integration of the European Second Generation (TIES), which compares data for second-generation Turks with parents of comparable backgrounds across contextual factors in seven European countries to explore why educational outcomes vary within the target group.

This report explores the fundamental question of how successful integration and immigrant social mobility is in Europe and North America. The authors examine the economic performance and rate of labor market assimilation for first and second generation immigrants, and outline what policymakers can do to promote the social mobility and integration of immigrants and their children.